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[ 8 posts ] |
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Battle Report with Maps |
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Cuban Commissar
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Post subject: Battle Report with Maps  Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 5:52 am |
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| Purestrain |
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Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2003 4:32 am
Posts: 2933
Location: Colorado, USA
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This weekend we played a game of Flames of War game. ?We played Americans vs. Italians 2,000 points. ?The mission was free for all. ?
The terrain was good with lots of hills centered on a villa in the middle. ?The villa was surrounded by walls and had a tree lined roadway leading into to it.
Sorry about the pics they are compressed on the forum. If you copy them into paint or some similar program you can see the actual unit names.
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Cuban Commissar
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Post subject: Battle Report with Maps Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 5:56 am |
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| Purestrain |
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Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2003 4:32 am
Posts: 2933
Location: Colorado, USA
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The Americans got the first turn and we held are ground. The infantry on either flank dismounted. On each flank I was looking at something that could tear through my poor M3s. On my right I was looking at 3 Panzer IIIJ, one long barreled Panzer III J ?Special?, one Panzer IV ?Special?, three Italian Semoventes, and 2 47/32 antitank guns. On my left I saw two 90mm anti-aircraft guns. So all the American infantry agreed it would be much safer in foxholes.
I did locate the observers from the Italian mortars and the Italian artillery. The 105mm Priests laid down a nice smoke barrage and both the observers and the company commander were in it.
Lastly I moved my Stuarts behind the central hill to act as a reserve. No need to let those guys gets engaged in a gun fight with Panzers.
The Italians moved forward with the German Panzers leading the charge on my right flank. The Bersaglieri on my left began their advance. And the other Bersaglieri advanced down the tree lined path leading to the villa. The observers moved out of the smoke screen. The Lancias moved forward having no targets to shot at. And the artillery just shined their guns as they weren?t receiving target coordinates from the observers. The tanks were still out range so no shots were fired.
On the next turn I moved my Shermans slightly forward to engage the Panzers. Apparently this was the first time in battle for many of these Americans tankers because all the shots missed. We decided to write a letter back to training command if we made it out of this alive. There wasn?t much else too do. Both infantry platoons dug into their position and got real small in their foxholes. The Priest smoked the observers again and the mortar platoon landed a barrage on the Italian infantry advancing toward the villa. As it turned out, despite not losing any stands, the barrage must have killed the platoon?s pet mascot. The sheer horror of this event destroyed the will to fight of this elite Italian infantry unit because they would remain there over the next several turns; much to the frustration of their company commander observing them on the other hill.
The Italians continued to advance, minus the very discouraged center infantry platoon. The Italian Carrie platoon moved right passed this platoon and advanced on the villa, mocking the grunts as they raced by them. The Italians command now separated his observers so that one smoke barrage could cover both. The Lancia?s fired upon the left flank infantry platoon. Lucky they were now dug in and very well hidden so the AA guns achieved very few hits. Still Bob the bazooka guy took a 90mm in the chest. The Panzers advanced to gun range but discovered that they couldn?t make fun of the Shermans in this era. The short barreled Panzer IIIs could not hurt the Shermans at long range and the Mark IV missed its one shot. So it appeared the Shermans would get another chance to redeem themselves.
The recon platoon moved onto of the hill to give the Americans another observer for their mortar fire. The Shermans again fired there 75mm guns at the Panzers. This time it was the Germans were pointing out the superiority of their armor. The Shermans hit but all the shots bounced off. It seemed to be the most comical tank battle I had ever seen. With the Observers now separated we concentrated on the one that controlled the bigger guns. And we started to smoke the Lancias to prevent more high velocity death,.
Once again the Italians advanced on my right flank. And yes the center infantry platoon was still morning the lost of their pet parrot. The Panzers advanced slightly but once again the shooting was mostly ineffective; only bailing one Sherman. It seems we were having a tank fight with pillows. The Panzer IIIs, realizing that shooting the Shermans at long range was useless turned their machine guns on the dug in infantry platoons. Despite the volume of fire hurled at the infantry they stayed small in their foxholes and suffered no casualties. The Semoventes were now in range of the Shermans but they discovered that Shermans can be tough, when fired at by the right weapon. The Carrie platoon took cover behind the villa waiting for the right moment to strike.
The Shermans targeted more vulnerable spots on the Panzers next time they shot at them. This time they were rewarded with two Panzer IIIs catching on fire. The M10 platoon now revealed itself having moved from across the table. Unfortunately they missed their shots having rushed to join tin the tank battle. The Lancias were smoked again and to further add confusion to the ranks were smoked the remaining Panzers, forcing them to move to fire on the Shermans.
The Panzers did charge through the smoke. With wisps of white cloud hanging from their corners the Panzers fires and one Sherman and one M10 was destroyed. The Semoventes fired as well but there shots just bounced off the Shermans. The Carrie platoon were now completely infuriated with the Bersaglieri platoon in the pathway. They were seen having a burial and memorial service for their dead parrot. The incensed platoon commander ordered his tanks forward and to hell with infantry support. They drove right into the recon platoon on the hill. They took out their frustration by plating the poor GIs with a torrent of machine gun fire. Those GIs not killed were driving off when the Italian tanks plowed through their positions.
The American commander seeing the threat to his artillery park ordered the Stuarts that had been hiding on the hill to deal with the annoying Italian tanks. We fully expected five M5s to deal easily with the M14/41 tanks. The Stuarts charged forward to glory. Well not exactly?
The American tankers were not trained enough and they were firing their guns for the first time in battle. Many shots missed the tanks commanders charged full speed yelling and whooping for all their might for over the radio. They managed to destroy just one Italians tank. I made a mental note to underline certain parts of that letter I was going to write to training command.
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Cuban Commissar
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Post subject: Battle Report with Maps Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 5:57 am |
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| Purestrain |
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Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2003 4:32 am
Posts: 2933
Location: Colorado, USA
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The Italians took advantage of the situation and the Lancias on the hill blasted the poor Stuarts who had now exposed themselves, three were destroyed. In horrific delight the Carrie tanks did not fire at the Stuarts but at the halftrack mortar platoon. A 47mm gun can easily deal with the armor on a M3. The 81mm mortar platoon was wiped out. The Panzers felt the remaining M10 was the greater threat and concentrated on him. The thin armor of the tank destroyer could not stand up to the fire and it was destroyed. While things looked dark for the Americans not all things were going well for the Italians. After a long advance the Bersaglieri platoon on my left moved to assault my infantry platoon. Their fire failed to pin the American platoon but the undaunted Italian platoon commander ordered them to charge with the bayonet. The Americans smiled with glee as they charged in. All the firepower in the American platoon was unleashed on the Italian infantry. 30 caliber machine guns, 60mm mortars, and plenty one M1 Garands tore the Bersaglieri platoon apart. Only a small fraction fell back to their starting positions.
It looked bad, but no one panicked. The Shermans focused on the Panzers and they finally went down. The remaining two Stuarts moved for a rear shot at the Italian light tanks, but they all missed their shots. Desperate to stop this menace to his center the company commander ordered the 105mm guns of the Priests to be turned on the Italian tanks. One Tank was blown part with a massive explosion. My first infantry platoon finished off the remainder of the Bersaglieri platoon. With them gone so were the Italian artillery observers. The poor company commander had to call in artillery for use units now.
The Italians continued the charge of the light brigade and the M14/41s fired on the Priests, one of the self propelled guns was destroyed. The Lancias finished off the last of the Stuarts. The Italians left flank was in complete disarray. Not willing to push the attack without their German allies the Semoventes fell back along with the antitank guns.
With the Panzers gone and the Semoventes running away, the Shermans turned on the remaining M14/41 tanks and finished off the platoon. The 105mm platoon moved more behind the hill to avoid observation from the Italian company commander. The first infantry platoon got back into their foxholes, good thing too because they was about to be a lot of artillery falling on them.
With their attack broken the Italians attempted to punish the Americans. The mortars, artillery, and the Lancias fired on the first platoon. They were getting thin put they were holding on. The Semoventes and the anti tank guns moved into position to protect the objective on their right flank.
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Cuban Commissar
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Post subject: Battle Report with Maps Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 5:58 am |
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| Purestrain |
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Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2003 4:32 am
Posts: 2933
Location: Colorado, USA
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Now it was time for the Americans to attack. The Shermans moved forward using their superior range to take out one of the Semoventes, with little fear of return fire. 2nd Platoon, still fresh, also moved forward to support the attack of the Shermans.
Once again the Italians responded with a hail of fire at 1st platoon and artillery was sent toward send platoon now that they were out of their entrenchments. The remaining Semovente and the anti-tank guns attempted stop the Shermans but their fire was ineffective. We did finally see the movement of the 1st Bersaglieri platoon toward the villa. They had many long drinks in memory of their dead parrot.
The Shermans finished off the Semovente platoon and my 2nd platoon decided to hold in place to ensure that the reenergized Bersaglieri didn?t make for the objective while the Shermans went for theirs. The Priest started to bombard the antitank guns in anticipation of the assault the Shermans would launch. The failed to inflict any loses but the platoon was pinned.
The Italians were scrambling to move forces onto their objective. The artillery opened on the Shermans with no effect. The Lancias continued punished the 1st mech. platoon. The Bersaglieri platoon felt it was safer in the villa stand moving into the open with an entire American platoon pointing guns at you. They really didn?t want to face their captain anyway.
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Cuban Commissar
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Post subject: Battle Report with Maps Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 5:58 am |
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| Purestrain |
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Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2003 4:32 am
Posts: 2933
Location: Colorado, USA
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In the last move of the game the Shermans moved the assault the antitank guns. They were pinned and the Sherman fire destroyed one gun. The 47mm guns bailed out one Sherman in return but were soon blasted or driven away when the Shermans moved in to finish the job. The Shermans consolidated near the objective. The 2nd infantry platoon held their ground keeping an eye on the Bersaglieri to make sure they didn?t try any funny business.
The Italians opened up with one last artillery barrage on the Sherman, but it was to late. Their flank was broken and the captain ordered with unit to fallback as fast as possible. Their attack had failed and now the Italians were on the run from the remaining Shermans.
The End
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primarch
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Post subject: Battle Report with Maps Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 3:39 pm |
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| Brood Brother |
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Joined: Fri Feb 14, 2003 12:46 am
Posts: 27069
Location: Edmond, Oklahoma USA
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Hi!
Sweet report and maps!!
Primarch
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Legion 4
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Post subject: Battle Report with Maps Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 5:01 pm |
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| Brood Brother |
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Joined: Thu Feb 13, 2003 5:13 pm
Posts: 36947
Location: Ohio - USA
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Very Nice report ... narrative & maps ! 
_________________
Legion 4 "Cry Havoc, and let slip the Dogs of War !" ... "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
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Justiniel
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Post subject: Battle Report with Maps Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 6:00 pm |
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| Brood Brother |
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Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2004 8:59 am
Posts: 3280
Location: Holywood, Northern Ireland
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[ 8 posts ] |
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